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Police chief: 'Our killer is behind bars'

OMAHA, Neb. -

Omaha police, the Douglas County Sheriff's Office and the FBI were among the agencies represented at a news conference Wednesday announcing an arrest in four unsolved Omaha homicides that happened over a period of 10 days.

Nikko Jenkins has been arrested in connection with the deaths of Andrea L. Kruger, Curtis Bradford, Juan Uribe-Pena and Jorge Cajiga-Ruiz. The killings all happened over a period of 10 days.

Schmaderer said Jenkins wreaked havoc on the community just days after being released from prison.

"He crossed racial, gender and city boundaries to commit his murders," Schmaderer said. "Since being released from prison on July 30, Nikko Jenkins maneuvered through his freedom by using fear, intimidation and violence to get what he wanted."

The police chief thanked the community for Crime Stoppers tips that led investigators to Jenkins. Schmaderer suspects some of the tips will result in cash rewards.

"The Omaha community can rest easier and feel safer now that Nikko Jenkins is safely locked up," Schmaderer said.

Douglas County Sheriff Tim Dunning said the investigation into the Kruger homicide slowly came together as pieces of evidence placed Jenkins at the crime scene.

Kruger had been working at the Deja Vu Lounge in the hours leading up to her death, authorities said. Dunning said she left the bar alone around 1:47 a.m.

Sources tell KETV NewsWatch 7 they believe the motive for Kruger's murder was "robbery and thrill," but nothing was taken from Kruger at the time of the killing.

There is no evidence of any road rage incident or other confrontation prior to Kruger's death, authorities said. However, surveillance video puts Jenkins and Kruger at the same place moments before her death, though there's no indication Jenkins got into her vehicle.

Sources said Kruger was shot multiple times, and authorities recovered a 9mm gun from the apartment where Jenkins was staying.

Investigators believe Jenkins committed the murder, but they say there are others who may be involved.

"While all of the evidence is not back from testing, we can safely confirm that Nikko Jenkins is our killer," Dunning said. "We know that Nikko Jenkins was not alone, and our investigation will continue to bring others to justice as well."

Kruger's husband said the family is pleased with the work of Omaha police and the Douglas County Sheriff's Office.

"It's still an ongoing investigation, and I am confident they will continue to do great work and do what they need to do to bring justice," said Michael-Ryan Kruger. "But this arrest does not change anything for us. We are still dealing with this as a family."

"The spirit of cooperation from the Omaha Police Department, the FBI and the US Marshals Office was very key in tying all four of these homicides together," Dunning said.

Jenkins, who had just been released from prison after serving nearly nine years for robbery, assault and assault of a peace officer, was taken into custody last week on suspicion of making terroristic threats against another woman. He was accused of threatening to kill her and her family.

On Tuesday, bail was set at $500,000 for Jenkins on the terroristic threats charge.

He's expected in court at 1 p.m. Thursday to face the new charges.

At Wednesday's news conference, Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine said the case appears to meet the qualifications for the death penalty.

"We'll see where the evidence takes us," Kleine said. "There certainly appears to be aggravating circumstances."

Jenkins' mother and sister face charges of tampering with a witness, punishable by up to five years in prison for each count.

Prosecutors allege that Lori and Melonie Jenkins called the woman who reported the threats and told her to drop the charges or else her and her family would get hurt.

Bail for Lori Jenkins was set at $150,000, and bail for Melonie Jenkins was set at $250,000.

Other arrests in the case include Erica A. Jenkins, 23, on a felony warrant and two counts of assault; Christine S. Bordeaux, 39, on suspicion of felon in possession of ammunition; and Anthony L. Wells, 30, on suspicion of felon in possession of a firearm.

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A photo provided by Curtis Bradford's family shows him (right) with Nikko Jenkins (left) hours before Bradford's body was found. Family members said the two were celebrating Jenkins' release from prison.

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